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55 Statewide and Local Organizations Unite to Sponsor 10 Town Meetings Across the State:

"Supporting All Roads to Justice: Marriage Equality in the Courts, Domestic Partnership in the Legislature."

The 10 town meetings, twice a month from January through May 2003, begin tonight, Monday night, January 13th in Morristown

Organizing series sponsors include Lambda Legal, the ACLU of New Jersey and the National Organization for Women-New Jersey

MONDAY, January 13, 2003 -- Six months after seven lesbian and gay couples in New Jersey sued in state court for the right to marry, and as state legislators prepare domestic partnership legislation that would encompass a range of nontraditional and intergenerational families, 55 organizations are sponsoring 10 town meetings across the state to support both marriage equality and domestic partnership recognition. The first town meeting, serving Morris County, is tonight at the Morristown Unitarian Fellowship at 21 Normandy Heights Road.

The schedule of dates, times and sites of the series - “SUPPORTING ALL ROADS TO JUSTICE: Marriage Equality in the Courts, Domestic Partnership in the Legislature” - is at the end of this release. The list of 55 sponsoring organizations is also at the end of this release. In order, the town meeting locations are Morristown, Newark, Trenton, Jersey City, Teaneck, Maplewood, Haddonfield, Summit, Cape May and Asbury Park.

“This series reflects an outpouring of support from New Jerseyans that began right after we filed the lawsuit last summer and which never stopped,” said Michael Adams, Director of Education and Public Affairs of Lambda Legal, the civil rights organization representing the couples in the marriage equality lawsuit. “We’re especially proud that our allies include the state’s leading straight and gay organizations alike.”

The sponsoring organizations also reflect New Jersey’s diversity of gender, color, heritage, religion, party identification and union membership. “Perhaps the most important message these town meetings will send,” said Deborah Jacobs, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of New Jersey, “is that you don’t have to choose between supporting marriage equality and domestic partnership recognition. In New Jersey, marriage equality for same-sex couples in an issue in the courts. Domestic partnership is a matter for the legislature and includes rights for all sorts of unmarried families living together. The ACLU, like other organizations across the state, is working hard for both.”

Speaking at each of the 10 town meetings will be marriage equality and domestic partnership leaders, as well as couples participating in the historic marriage equality lawsuit. “Our public officials should take a long hard look at the diversity and strength of the sponsoring organizations,” said Elizabeth Volz, president of the National Organization for Women-New Jersey. “It’s not surprising given that New Jersey has a history of leading the way to progressive change.”

The State of New Jersey is expected to respond to Lambda Legal’s marriage equality lawsuit this month. Cooperating with Lambda Legal on the lawsuit is Gibbons, DelDeo, Dolan, Griffinger & Vecchione.